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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 1: Head coach Leslie Frazier of the Minnesota Vikings and head coach Marc Trestman of the Chicago Bears greet each other after the game on December 1, 2013 at Mall of America Field at the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

Does that mean Marinelli will be promoted to defensive coordinator with the Cowboys?

It seems 73-year-old coordinator Monte Kiffin figures to be the one to take the fall if the Cowboys are looking for a scapegoat. Marinelli served that role in an unofficial capacity this season. Kiffin held the title, but Marinelli helped implement and oversaw much of what went on. The front office holds Marinelli in high regard. He is the logical successor to Kiffin. It’s likely why the Cowboys were reluctant to let him go to another team.

Marinelli is a proven coordinator, having presided over the attack-style defense that Chicago flashed three seasons prior to his arrival in Dallas. He also did a decent job with the ramshackle unit he supervised with the Cowboys.

This season, Dallas deployed 41 defensive players — more than any other team. Twenty were linemen who reported directly to Marinelli. Despite major personnel deficiencies, the Cowboys finished with a higher sack total than five other teams, including the Bears.

“He’s just an excellent football coach,” Garrett said in September. “Teaching is a big part of that, inspiring is a big part of that, seeing the real positive traits in people and getting them into situations where they can be successful. He’s done a fantastic job throughout his career.”

If the Cowboys choose to part ways with Kiffin, losing Marinelli would further destabilize a defense that has been led by four coordinators since the start of 2010.

The Cowboys like Marinelli, the defensive line coach who was brought in to help orchestrate the transition to the 4-3 system installed under Kiffin last off-season. Jerry Jones said on Friday on his radio show that the Cowboys will stick with the 4-3.

The move to a new scheme wasn’t intended to be a one-year project. These things don’t happen overnight, after all. Tony Dungy, the former Tampa Bay coach who once employed Marinelli and Smith, said as much last summer.

“It will take a couple of years to get the right pieces to this puzzle,” Dungy explained then. “To get the 4-3 front personnel and the defensive backs tailored to play this system is going to take a few drafts.”

Immediate success, Dungy insinuated, wasn’t in the cards. Sure enough, the Cowboys’ defense looked disastrous at times in 2013. Dallas conceded 6,645 yards — the third-highest total allowed in league history. The Cowboys also were ranked last in 10 defensive categories, according to STATS LLC.

“I think collectively when you step back, you say we have to play better,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said earlier this week. “And that’s everybody. That’s players, coaches, everybody involved.”